The mid-day sun had dipped closer to the horizon but the heat still raged on as though the sun had indeed moved closer. It was 4pm in the afternoon, Jason could see the mirage on the tarmac of the causeway from the driver’s seat in the cool comfort of his E-Class Merc as he cruised towards the Malaysian customs. The car door whirred as Jason wound down the window to pass his passport to the customs official in the booth. The customs official checked the photo in the passport against Jason’s face before stamping the passport. Jason thanked the official and closed his window as he drove off. Just another rich Singaporean business man going to JB for cheap shopping or cheap vice. Just another forgettable face.

Driving in Malaysia was never a pleasure for Jason. The signboards were all written in Bahasa Malaysia and the road condition was pathetic—full of potholes and worn out road markings. Jason also hated the look of Malaysian traffic lights, they looked shorter and had a bigger ‘head’. He had to lock all the doors and keep a constant lookout for car jackers in consideration that he was driving a Mercedes Benz and Mercedes weren’t all that common on Malaysian roads. He drove to the forested area near Kampung Maru to familiarise himself with the route but refrained from driving into the woods. After checking out the venue of the exchange happening tonight, Jason needed a place to rest.